Why Trump and the GOP's billion-dollar midterm blitz isn’t working

WASILLA, ALASKA - OCTOBER 13: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an election rally at the Menard Memorial Sports Center on October 13, 2026 in Wasilla, Alaska. President Trump is in Alaska campaigning for local Republican candidates ahead of the midterm elections. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)Alex Wong | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesA billion-dollar war chest was meant to be Republicans' great equalizer heading into a bleak midterm election environment defined by economic frustration, President Donald Trump's unpopularity and fallout from the war in Iran.So far it hasn't worked.From Labor Day through Oct 14., GOP groups injected more than $740 million into congressional races that will determine control of Congress, according to a CNBC analysis of AdImpact data. That includes at least $220 million in spending from Trump-linked groups. Elon Musk has separately given another $276 million to Republican groups since July and helped boost the GOP's Senate Leadership Fund super PAC to a record quarter.Yet with less than three weeks until the Nov. 3 Election Day, the spending blitz has barely moved the map. Democrats lead in FiftyPlusOne's polling averages across nine of the...